Pages

Eberron is a campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons, and the first full campaign setting since the release of Third Edition D&D. Just as as Greyhawk did for the original D&D rules and Forgotten Realms did for AD&D ("2nd edition"), Eberron provides a world that fully complements the D&D 3.5 ruleset. It's heroic fantasy with a more modern sensibility, and it's filled with exotic cultures, spectacular magic, and shadowy conspiracies. It's also a world that needs heroes; villains are numerous and mighty, and when the world needs saving, it's up to the PCs.

What sets Eberron apart from other D&D campaign settings?

Eberron is designed to include all the elements that make D&D such an appealing, classic game, while adding depth and style that takes the world beyond generic medieval fantasy. No one "high concept" defines the world, but twists and details make it a unique and compelling place.

In Eberron, arcane magic has been applied scientifically to create wonders like towering cities and elemental-powered airships. Divine magic is mysterious and belief is a matter of faith. The world's history has been marked by extraplanar incursions, some as regular and accepted as the seasons, some which have caused worlwide devastation. Noble houses and crime guilds vie for power in wartorn nations. Monstrous NPCs have backgrounds as detailed as the PC races. Diverse, vibrant cultures are separated by memories of battles during the catacylsmic Last War, but are united in a commitment to keep history from repeating itself. Myriad organizations look to the ruins of goblin and giant empires for powerful secrets, while the mysterious dragons study an ancient Prophecy and observe the lesser races from their own continent.

What is the general tone and spirit of Eberron?

In the words of Wizards of the Coast, "Eberron is a cinematic world of pulp/noir action, adventure, and intrigue." So what's that mean? "Pulp" refers to the kind of high-octane, seat-of-your-pants adventure first popularized in paperbacks and magazine stories like Doc Savage and Conan, continuing today in the form of action heroes like Indiana Jones and Hellboy. "Noir" describes stories with a darker edge, where imperfect heroes face tough decisions and morality isn't always black and white. Combine the two and you get swashbuckling action combined with uncertainty and intrigue. Those have always been the elements of great D&D adventures, and they're a big part of the focus of Eberron. As for "cinematic," that's easy. Heroes in Eberron do more than slay legions of monsters or converse with tavern owners; they should be the kind of heroes who you'd want to watch a movie about.

What playable races are included in Eberron?

Because everything in the core rulebooks has a place in Eberron, all Player's Handbook races are represented:

Humans are a relatively young race, but are populous and enterprising. Until 100 years ago, a human kingdom dominated the Eberron's most prominent continent, Khorvaire. In the wake of a massive war, the human nations are still among the most powerful in Khorvaire: theocratic Thrane, indutrious Breland, educated Aundair and militaristic Karrnath. Humans also wield considerable control over commerce, and more dragonmarked houses are passed on through human bloodlines than among any other race.

Elves are an ancient race who once toiled as slaves for the giants of Xen'drik. The Aerenal elves dominate a large landmass off the coast of Khorvaire. In many ways a nation of philosophers, the Aereni take a measured, careful view of all things. They so prize the wisdom afforded by their long lifespans that they keep their ancestors alive as undying advisors. The Valenar elves are warriors who honor their heroic ancestors with martial exploits. They carved out a nation in the Last War, and continue to indulge their love of battle and horses; they can be found both as mercenaries or ruthless raiders. Still other elves live in their own distinct communities, adapting cultures of younger races.

Dwarves are a disciplined and regimented race with a barbaric past. Their love of gold and their talents for security make dwarves Eberron's foremost bankers. The largest dwarven nation is the Mror holds, which is actually a collection of smaller nations and clans.

Halflings are adventurous wanderers with a nomadic heritage. Some halflings remain true to their ancestral roots, living as hunter-gatherers on the Talenta plains. These halflings have managed to tame the Talenta region's indigenous dinosaurs. Many other halflings are fully civilized, having lived for generations in the cities and towns of Eberron. These halflings work as healers, innkeepers, and thieves, making themselves a part of the local culture in nearly every society.

Gnomes are concentrated in the southern nation of Zilargo. Gnomes possess a natural talent for magic and a fascination with history. Studious and intelligent, their ardent thirst for knowledge and love of strategy produces cunning spies as well as brilliant scholars and diplomats. While they cultivate a harmless, charming exterior, they make deadly, calculating enemies. The incredible Library of Korranberg is the pride of many gnomes, and gnome scribes are valued throughout Khorvaire.

Half-orcs and half-elves have been a part of Eberron for thousands of years. While a few halfbreeds experience the alientation of being torn between two worlds, most are raised in communities entirely composed of mixed-race people. Half-orcs are likely to live in areas like the Shadow Marches, where their orc ancestors may work as chaotic raiders or fierce guardians of the natural world. Half-elves, or khoravar, were born from the mingling of the first human and elf settlers in Khorvaire. Many are affiliated with half-elf dragonmarked houses, and only half-elves with the Mark of Storm may control the bound air elementals that power Lyrandar airships.

Eberron also introduces four new PC races. The warforged are constructs with souls, living weapons of wood and steel created during the Last War. Changelings are the offspring of doppelgangers and humans, often treated as outcasts by their families but empowered with shapechanging abilities. Shifters are humanoids descended from lycanthropes, now a distinct race with the ability to tap into brief bursts of animalistic power. Kalashtar are a psionically gifted race of half-humans that share their souls with exiled outsiders from Dal Quor, the dream plane.

What D&D rulebooks are required for playing in Eberron?

Players will need the Player's Handbook. Dungeon Masters will need the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual. Eberron is specifically written to support the 3.5 update of these rules. Use of the Expanded Psionics handbook is encouraged and supported, but is not required.

One of the goals for Eberron is to have a place for everything in the core rulebooks, from paladins and monks to dragons and dinosaurs. That doesn't mean that there's a defined place for every monster in the Monster Manual, but there is a logical home for every monster, item, and class in the core rulebooks.

What original rules material does Eberron include?

The Eberron campaign setting book includes world-specific prestige classes, feats, spells, domains, deities, monsters, and NPCs. It also includes a new basic class, the artificer. Artificers are master craftsmen with a knack for creating and using magic items; they gain a bonus XP pool for magic item creation and the ability to "cast" a limited number of equipment-enhancing infusions. Eberron includes a new kind of feat, the dragonmark, which comes in least, lesser and greater varieties. Dragonmarks give characters who belong to racially-based noble houses access to limited spell-like abilities. Related to both of these new elements are a new type of magic item called dragonshards. Dragonshards come in three varieties, and can be used to enhance dragonmark abilities, bind elementals, or augment the power of magic items.

Eberron also uses Action Points, a rule originally developed for d20 Modern and adapted to D&D in Unearthed Arcana. Action Points represent characters' ability to "give it their all" during critical moments. In game terms, Action Points are a limited pool of points that can be spent to do add a random bonus to a d20 check, stabilize a dying character, or use a "spent" class feature. Eberron includes one prestige class and a few feats that emphasize Action Points, but use of Action Points is optional.

What are adventures like in Eberron?

Eberron is intended to provide a logical home for evey kind of D&D adventure. Many options are available for classic dungeon delving, like the lost continent of Xen'drik, the fiend-infested depths of Khyber, and the postapocalyptic Mournland. Eberron also supports urban adventures, from simple heists or gang wars to murder mysteries that span the many levels of Sharn. For political intrigue, look no further than the courts of more than a dozen nations, or the houses of international merchant guilds. Looking for epic-level challenges? Help the kalashtar overthrow the insidious psionic tyrants who rule the continent of Sarlona, make a preemptive strike against another plane before it becomes coterminous with Eberron, or explore Argonessen, the continent of dragons. Whether you're infiltrating a cult of the Dragon Below, recovering a powerful artifact for Morgrave University, or serving as a bodyguard at the forbidden wedding of dragonmarked nobles from different houses, there's an adventure around every corner in Eberron.

What is Eberron's technology level?

Eberron uses the core D&D rulebooks as its foundation, and its technology level is essentially what D&D has always used: a blend of Middle Ages and Rennaisance technology. Eberron features no steam power, cars, or firearms. Wars in Eberron are fought with swords and longbows. Horses and sailing ships are the most common forms of transportation.

However, Eberron is also a world where arcane magic has been studied as the science that it is. While powerful mages are rare, especially after the Last War, wizards and artificers have created many powerful magic items. Some magic items exist which perform functions similar to modern technology. The warforged are one example; because they are constructed beings, they remind some players of robots, even though they are animated by magic rather than electricity or gears. Eberron's most famous city, Sharn, features towers that touch the sky. Several nations and groups own airships powered by bound elementals. The Lightning Rail hovers along a track of magic crystals, carrying passengers between several major cities.

Most players compare this "magitech" to games like Final Fantasy or Arcanum, which feature mechanical objects enhanced by arcane power. The primary difference between Eberron and steampunk/magitech settings is that Eberron's items are not mechanical in nature. Without magic, they would be totally inert objects. The stone platforms that carry pedestrians between towers in Sharn would fall without magic, and an airship would crash as surely as a magic carpet in an antimagic field. Eberron's emphasis is not on reproducing modern technology, but on applying existing D&D magic, particularly low-level magic like prestidigitation, in practical ways. A secondary but important difference between Eberron and other magitech settings is that there is no conflict between magic and technology; the two have evolved together, and a flying ship is seen as no more "technological" than an enchanted sword.

What products has Wizards of the Coast release to support the Eberron campaign setting?

Dungeon #111: The Lord of Blades (a Critical Threat write-up)Dungeon #113: "The Queen With Burning Eyes" by James Wyatt (1st level)Dungeon #115: "Steel Shadows" by Keith Baker (7th level)Dungeon #117: "Fallen Angel" by Keith Baker (3rd level)Dungeon #122: "Backdrop: Xen'drik's Ring of Storms"Dungeon #123: "Shards of Eberron Part 1: Crypt of Crimson Stars" by Andy Collins and James WyattDungeon #124: “Shards of Eberron, Part 2: Temple of the Scorpion God” by Andy Collins and James Wyatt Dungeon #125: “Shards of Eberron, Part 3: Pit of the Fire Lord” by Andy Collins and James WyattDungeon #129: “Murder in Oakbridge” by Uri Kurlianchick
(The "Age of Worms" Adventure Path also includes Eberron conversion notes written by Keith Baker, which are collected in the online overload document)

Select Eberron miniatures have appeared in randomly assorted D&D Miniatures packs since the Giants of Legend expansion.

What other licensed products use the Eberron campaign setting?

Wizards of the Coast is publishing several series of Eberron novels. Unfortunately, discussion of novels is prohibited on the Wizards.COMmmunity message boards (due to some nasty author-bashing in the past). To learn more about the books, visit Eberron novels page at Essential Eberron.

To learn how to make the most of your existing D&D books in Eberron, check out Keith Baker's Eberron Expanded.

Sean K. Reynolds also published some Eberron articles examining what's unique about the campaign world.

What other Eberron resources are available on the web?

A high-quality community of fan sites has grown to support the Eberron campaign setting. None of this information is official, but it can help inspire your own campaigns.

Essential Eberron is a comprehensive site that includes information about Eberron sourcebooks and novels, as well as an encylcopedia.

The Eberron Journal is no longer updated, but includes an archive of prerelease information and concept art, and tips for using older D&D sourcebooks in Eberron.

The Korranberg Chronicle provides unofficial "in-character" news and original adventures. The Chronicle features fan-created stories from across Khorvaire, all designed to provide adventure hooks and immerse you in the world of Eberron.

The Breland Ledger is an "out-of-character" news source affiliated with the Eberron Journal. It features the latest news for Eberron fans, including links to Eberron-related articles and fan-created content.

While the campaign setting book does not include a fully-labeled map of Khorvaire, WotC has made one available online. A high-quality printed version is available for purchase with the Deluxe Eberron Dungeon Master’s Screen. Some unofficial fan-created alternatives are also available at Maps of Eberron.

As a DM, I'd like to introduce my players to Eberron without revealing all the campaign's secrets. Where can I find a summary of the world from a PC's perspective?

The first Eberron novel, City of Towers by Keith Baker, contains a 20-page appendix with exactly the details you're looking for. (And the book it comes with is a must-read for serious Eberron fans.)

If you want to learn more about Eberron, and you've already read the available sourcebooks, head to the Ask Keith Baker FAQ. It contains hundreds of answers that further detail the exciting world of Eberron. Still can't fund what you're looking for? Post a question in the most recent Ask Keith Baker thread. Just keep in mind that Keith's a busy guy, and he's not always in a position to answer every question sent his way.

I was there at the dawn of the Third-and-a-Halfth Age of Dungeons & Dragons. I saw action during the Crisis of Infinite Foundations, stood on the ramparts of the Citadel of Mirth, delved deep into the debauchery of the Forum of the Adult, and fought alongside the Infernal Bovine on the fields of the Eberron War. I weathered the Ponystorm. I witnessed as the orcs came for the wizos, and I wept mightily. I saw the realm crack as the Fourth Age came upon us, and I witnessed the eldritch tendrils of the dread Gleemax. Now I watch as the Meta Wars ravage the land as the Fifth Age is dawning. I have walked these Boarderlands for many a long year, and bear many scars in my soul. Yet I remain the White Sorcerer, ever in your service. TWS out.

I was there at the dawn of the Third-and-a-Halfth Age of Dungeons & Dragons. I saw action during the Crisis of Infinite Foundations, stood on the ramparts of the Citadel of Mirth, delved deep into the debauchery of the Forum of the Adult, and fought alongside the Infernal Bovine on the fields of the Eberron War. I weathered the Ponystorm. I witnessed as the orcs came for the wizos, and I wept mightily. I saw the realm crack as the Fourth Age came upon us, and I witnessed the eldritch tendrils of the dread Gleemax. Now I watch as the Meta Wars ravage the land as the Fifth Age is dawning. I have walked these Boarderlands for many a long year, and bear many scars in my soul. Yet I remain the White Sorcerer, ever in your service. TWS out.

Originally posted by JohnnyONeal I just updated the FAQ to include the final "Gearing Up.." article.

Hey Wiz_Os, have you given any thought to making this thread sticky?

Due to some RL constraints, I haven't had much of a chance to get with the others and I believe they are in the same boat. We're having a super secret meeting at the WizO hall of justice soon though. I'll snag the others and get their thoughts on it.

I don't have the 3.5 core rules yet, should i get them first before i even think of buying the Eberron campaign setting when it's released or am i good to go with only the 3.0 core rules?

Using 3.0 rules should not be a major problem for the campaign setting book, especially if you don't mind some mechanical inconsistencies in things like NPC descriptions. New rules material like the various feats and prestige classes is balanced for 3.5, but I can't think of anything that would cause major problems for 3.0 players. I'd still recommend eventually getting 3.5, or at least spending some quality time with the updated SRD, because future Eberron releases will just continue to incorporate 3.5 rule material, and the inconveniences of back-converting are likely to become increasingly annoying.

One more note: if you're going to use psionics, I would highly recommend the XPH over its 3.0 predecessor. Its changes were far more significant than most 3.5 updates.

Ahhhh just the answer i wanted to hear, when the Eberron campaign setting gets released here in the philippines, or if it gets released here, maybe i'll try a 3.0 version while saving up for the 3.5 core rules, then eventually upgrade to 3.5, either way thanks for the input, now i'm considering if i should use psionics now. hmmmmmmm

Originally posted by Jacinth Greyfox i just got the campaign setting yesterday after a superficial skim through i think its obvious to get the full "flavour" of Eberron that you would have to use Psionics.

I disagree.
Once you've actually read it, you'll realize you don't really lose anything important if you ignore the psionic stuff (unless you want to run a campaign in Sarlona, of course).

In fact the existence of psionics is widely ignored. While Khorvaire makes great use of arcane magic it doesn't incorporate any psionic 'technology'. Just ask your local artificer or magewright, what he thinks about psionics...I doubt you'll get much except a 'Huh? Wha'ss'at?'

Having said all that, I believe the XPH makes for a great addition to ANY campaign setting. The new classes and powers are very cool.

I accept the points you have raised and it would be possible to ignore the psionic stuff if your campaign is set in Khorvaire.

However much has been made of the world spanning nature of adventures in Eberron and as the Inspired are actively infiltrating Khorvaire, sooner or later your players are going to run in to the Inspired. Hence my comments about the Psionics hand book being essential.

I think it is a sign of a interesting campaign setting that diverse readers can each have a diffierent takes on it.

Good catch, and the first of those two statements may be a bit misleading. Though in this case, "young" is a relative term.

The book actually suggests that all (non-half) races of Eberron were created in the immeasurably distant past, during the Age of Dragons. But it was a long time before the common races became civilized. It didn't happen during the age of Demons, which lasted from over 10,000,000 years ago to about 100,000 years ago (when the couatls sacrificed themselves to bind the rakshasas and other fiends in Khyber). The first steps away from primitive existence happened during the Age of Giants, when elves started to become a civilized race (as the slaves of giants, about 80,000 years ago). During the Age of Monsters, the civilizations of the other common races started to rise.

It's not stated when human civilization started on Sarlona (the continent now ruled by the Inspired), but humans didn't actually come to Khorvaire until Sarlona until 3,000 years before the campaign setting's start year (and don't seem to have a significant amount of recorded pre-Khorvaire history). Compare that to the other races:

No dates are given for the rise of halfling and gnome civilization, but gnomes have been in Zilargo for "thousands of years" and apparently clashed with the goblins back when they were an empire. Halflings have been around for a long time, though they've been in a more "primitive" state for most of that time. Still, the Mark of Hospitality appeared among the Talenta halflings 200 years before humans even arrived, indicating they were sentient and establishing a history for a reasonable amount of time beforehand.

So human civilization as people in Eberron know it is pretty young; the humans are definitely the most recent (non-halfbreed) race to arrive on Khorvaire. Half-orcs, half-elves, and (I assume) shifters have been around for the past 2,000 or so years. Since about 1,500 years ago, they've had communities of their own.

The distinction I was trying to make was that in many campaign settings, half-races are very rare and usually a concept that has emerged quite recently. In Eberron, they're true-breeding, and they've been on Khorvaire almost as long as humans.

I'll review the website in question (actually, I'll kick it upstairs for the boss to review as I'm not comfortable with my grasp of copyright law & how it interacts with the Code of Conduct), and get back to you.

IINM, the problem here is the use of art and other elements from the "Across Eberron" preview pamphlet.

I just want to be clear that it is now OK to link to the tons of other sites that violate the OGL?

The fact is, stembolt, I disagree with your assessment that the Eberron Journal's use of WotC's product identity constitutes copyright infringement.

I don’t in fact think you violate product identity at all. You violate the OGL. Ironically you would be fine to remove the OGL and SRD based info and everything would pretty much fit under fair use (pretty much).

Here is the breakdown:
If you use the OGL you can use the SRD and everything under it.
If you use the SRD you cannot use non SRD material including sourcebooks, FR, Eberron and so forth.

If anyone has any problems with the facts as I presented them let me know.